South Bend Clay Match Report - 2019

Scores

V: Bethany Christian 4, South Bend Clay 1

Photos
Click here for photos from the match.

Varsity Recap

It was a beautiful, sunny day over in South Bend as we took on the Colonials. This is our second season playing Clay. This year, their team was led by a French exchange student, who was very skilled at tennis (but he's also playing on the football team!) They also returned other players from last year's team, though their top two had graduated.

Clay was without their normal #2S player, who also plays for the soccer team. This is an interesting theme, they had several players who are involved in more than one sport in the fall season. Because of this, Josh got a really early win - by default. The Colonials didn't have a #3S player for tonight :-)

The rest of the matches were fairly straight forward. Will and Tyson really played well tonight, with a lot of energy and much better movement than on Tuesday or last Thursday. As a result, #2D only lost 4 points in the entire match! Will served particularly well, putting into effect his new serve.

#1D did not serve as well, but their result was essentially the same. They continued to play great tennis at the net, and were able to put that type of pressure on the Clay #1D team. Nathan and Joseph have had many great matches where they were very focused with their footwork and readiness. Tonight was a bit slower, but they stayed in it enough to not drop any games.

Braden had a great match. He was hitting his shots instead of dinking. He was moving his opponent around the court. He continued to build on his successful season.

Caleb's match was also great for him to play. I was really impressed at how his opponent, Marius Pion, stayed down throughout the points. This allowed the Clay #1 to control points in the first set. But in the second, Caleb challenged that. Caleb began to move around and send Pion across the court for his shots. Down 3-0, Caleb actually found a really good groove, and extended the match with several chances to break and bring it back to 3-2. I really loved the way that Caleb responded to his first set defeat to come back with some fire in the second.

Overall, it was a relaxed match for us. We enjoyed playing tennis. We enjoyed watch Aaron and Theo fight out a tiebreak against each other. We enjoyed great conversation on the car rides. We enjoyed coming back to the school a little earlier than expected an watching an awesome volleyball game.

Junior Varsity Recap
There was no JV match.

You are accepted.

Before this match even began, I had hope for you. I had hope that you would enjoy the gifts that we often take for granted - a beautiful day, friendly people, our tennis skills, able bodies to play tennis, even more. I had hope that you would feel like you belong as well. That you understand, or are beginning to, how much you are loved.

You are sustained.
Today, we are sustained by these moments of joy...

1. Nathan's Tweener?
I was told that Nathan won another point with a tweener, which is mind-blowing. Again though, I was watching a different match. Next time, Nathan has to yell, "Matt!" as he's preparing for it :-)

2. Will's Second Serve
Practice makes perfect! Will has been struggling to get a consistent serve. He went out this weekend and worked out the kinks. Tonight it looked much smoother and there were no dinks!

You are significant.

How have we used our God-given gifts to serve the needs of others?

I appreciated that Jesse drove for us. I don't know if driving is a God-given gift, but it certainly was a gift tonight. It allowed us to take smaller vehicles, and honestly, I love the conversations that happen when the vehicle is smaller. I feel like I get to be a part of the chatter, and that is a gift. Thanks for driving Jesse!

You have achieved.

We are improving bad habits. That is an achievement.

Prayer
God, I am thankful for every night with these guys. As we look toward the end of this season, I pray that you will bless us with whatever You know we need. Help us feel accepted, let that identity as Your child sustain us, allowing us to join You in some significant work, so that we may achieve together. Amen.

Scores
Varsity
#1S - Caleb Shenk - 0-6, 1-6 - Marius Pion (12)
#2S - Braden Bohn - 6-0, 6-0 - Nathan Duszynski (10)
#3S - Josh Cartwright - won by default
#1D - Nathan Oostland/Joseph Mounsithiraj - 6-0, 6-0 - Braydon Dukes (12)/Ben Aberegg (12)
#2D - Will Nisley/Tyson Miller - 6-0, 6-0 - Noah Stone (9)/Marquise Dawning (10)